1. Field of the Invention
The subject matter of the application generally relating to converting and storing the kinetic energy of a flowing fluid. More particularly, the subject matter of the application relates to the conversion and storage of wind power and hydropower.
2. Description of Related Art
Windmills and wind turbines are generally well known in the art. Windmills traditionally include a plurality of blades or vanes connected to a rotatable shaft. Wind (or other fluids) act upon the blades to create an aerodynamic or hydrodynamic reaction upon the blades causing the shaft and blades to rotate about the axis of the shaft. Windmills have traditionally been employed across the world to: pump water, grind grain and crush stone. Additionally, windmills have been employed in systems that convert kinetic energy, namely wind, into electrical energy. The rotation of the blades of a windmill drives a generator, which in turn produces an electric current. For applications that require linear actuation, additional mechanical systems are required to translate the rotation of the blades into such linear motion, further complexifying a windmill's operation.
Wind turbines are designed to work between certain wind speeds. The lower speed, called the ‘cut in speed’ is generally 4-5 ms−1, as there is too little energy below this speed to overcome system losses. The ‘cut out speed’ is determined by the ability of the particular machine to withstand high wind. The ‘rated speed’ is the wind speed at which the particular machine achieves its maximum rated output. Above this speed, it may have mechanisms that maintain the output at a constant value with increasing wind speed.
Windmills and wind turbines require frequent repair and maintenance. Blades can be damaged by high winds and the complex mechanisms that have been devised to accommodate for such must be frequently inspected and maintained. Additionally, while windmills and wind turbines present emission-free options to oil- and gas-fueled power plants, they have been implicated in the annual deaths of tens of thousands of birds, some of which are endangered. Besides the loss of life, repair and maintenance are necessitated as a result of a number of such avian fatalities.
Hydropower plants operate similarly to harness the kinetic energy of flowing water to generate electricity. Hydropower plants generally include a dam, one or more turbines and a corresponding number of generators. Each turbine is positioned at the dam such that water flowing through the dam strikes and turns the turbine's blades. Each turbine is attached to a generator via a shaft such that rotation of the turbine turns the generator producing an electrical current. However, while wind turbines are designed to rotate orthogonal to airflow, hydropower turbines are generally designed to rotate parallel with water flow. Therefore, improvements to wind turbines are not easily translatable to hydropower turbines.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is a system for capturing and storing the kinetic energy of a flowing fluid. What is further needed is such a system that is simpler in construction and provides greater efficiencies than current wind turbines and/or hydropower turbines. Additionally, what is needed is a system that requires less maintenance and repair.